What Happened To The Netflix Redwall Movie?

It’s easy to see why Netflix would want to adapt Redwall, as the best-selling fantasy novel released in 1986, launched an entire franchise of the same name, which comes from the Redwall Abbey at the center of most of the stories. Written by British author Brian Jacques, Redwall sets itself apart from other medieval fantasy settings by featuring anthropomorphic animals in every role, from mice to birds, ferrets to badgers.

Not only is the setting unique, but Brian Jacques walks a fine line between making the stories light-hearted yet with dark moments, incredibly evil villains, and even a penchant for killing off characters. When I first read Martin the Warrior, a prequel to the first novel, I was stunned when the stoat (part of the weasel family) tyrant Badrang easily offed a major character as they emerged from a tunnel for the final battle.

Despite the cute and cuddly characters, this is a tough series to adapt today. But if anyone can pull it off, Netflix, which made a hit out of the strange Midnight Gospel, is well-situated to give fans the best Redwall adaptation in years.

There was one adaptation, a series of cartoons running from 1999 to 2001 based on the original generation of Mouse Warriors, that adapted Redwall, Martin the Warrior, and Mattimeo, breaking each novel into 13 episodes. While a low-budget production that eschews most of the darkness and despair from Brian Jacques’ original stories, they’re fun and well suited for a younger audience.

That’s why Netflix’s initial announcement about a Redwall feature film was met with such fanfare; it has been nearly 40 years, and one cartoon series that touches on a small fraction of the books isn’t enough.

In 2021, Netflix announced a series of feature-length animated Redwall movies were in production. The movies would adapt multiple books in the series under the supervision of Patrick McHale (Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio). One year later, McHale was interviewed by multiple outlets, explaining that he was no longer involved and that he believed the movie would become a streaming series instead. That was 2022, and since then, there’s been no news.

Netflix often doesn’t share project updates, but the League of Legends series, Arcane, was in a similar situation to Redwall following the initial announcement. It was over four years before the first frame of animation was shared with the public and another two before the finished project was released. It can take years to produce a well-animated movie, and the lack of updates could very well be business as usual for the streamer.

The good news is that Netflix has not announced that it has canceled or abandoned Redwall. Even as recently as last year, when the company announced the closure of multiple animation studios, totaling a third of its animation staff, nothing was said about Redwall. Since then, animation has become a large and very successful part of Netflix’s service, which means, if I had to bet on it, I’d wager the series was still in the works.

Netflix’s Redwall will likely cover the first book alongside Mattimeo and Martin the Warrior, but beyond that, there’s a whole world of adventure.

Thematically, going with Mariel of Redwall and The Bellmaker keeps the series centered on the Abbey, but what I’d like to see is Salamandastron. The home of the Badger Lords, the titular mountain is besieged by an army of vermin while a virulent plague strikes Redwall Abbey, with both stories colliding in an explosive battle that lets the mighty badgers cut loose.

While there are no signs that point to the Netflix Redwall series no longer happening, there’s also been no evidence that it’s coming anytime soon, which frustratingly means that generations of fans can do nothing but wait patiently. To answer my own question from the beginning, I find this waiting to be annoying, but if it means the franchise doesn’t stumble out of the gate like His Dark Materials or the Chronicles of Narnia, which always runs out of steam after the third book, then it will be worth the wait.